Shadow was in my lap while horse ride with one of the Blue Chevaliers. I felt more safe with him, tugging his hairy ears as I breathed fresh air from the beautiful meadow. Jeanne was behind me, with another Blue Chevalier watching her. As for Shen, he was at the front. After we spoke out at the plaza, I noticed something odd about him. Deep in his cold endeavor, there is something changed within him. I don't know what it is, but he is different. Why does he look like a zombie, rather than a human? I got to keep an eye on him. I don't trust him, and neither is this Napoleon character. Jeanne believes he could form an alliance with us, to stop this dark ent.i.ty that could jeopardize this whole war. Even so…

The cold night blew a chilling wind that reminded me on the snowy days. The memories of Alister and I, playing outside when we were kids. Remembering the numerous beatdowns that I threw at him with s...o...b..a.l.l.s was so sweet and fun. His glinting smile when the snow fell into him, smearing his adorable face was a sparkling sensation. I wonder if he remembers that day, when we built our very own snowman together? Just thinking about it made me smile. I miss everything…

The Blue Chevaliers stopped on their tracks, with their lighted torches placed on the ground, while Shen Nakamura inspected the troops. That's when he looked at me with emptiness. And he told me to dismount the horse. As I lay Shadow on the ground, he pushed me to walk. Jeanne was nearby and quickly walked besides me, keeping an eye on Shen and his troops.

Indeed, the walk was a little long. The center road led to a huge gateway, where an elusive palace with two towers glinted on the moonlight. Orange torches brighten the white and silver marble floors. The palace windows were lit with white lights, with a few shadow silhouettes moving around. Soldiers who looked like toy soldiers, held their muskets up front, standing like a statue in a grand salute. Few of them were walking left and right mechanically, watching for any intruders. Shen approaches the giant blue door with lily flowers decorated on the sides of each door.

"Get in…" Shen replied while pus.h.i.+ng the door. Shadow was left outside because dogs are not allowed.

Inside was the main hall. The floor was covered with blue carpets, white pillars and golden aura of light. I was amazed of the many n.o.bles who were talking and laughing while a prisoner arrived with the Blue Chevaliers. Perhaps deep in their masks, they laughed at me. Indeed, whispers of the capture of the Night Demon has already spread throughout the kingdom.

We climbed through the center stairs and followed Shen and his troops toward a room. He knocked on the door first, then waited. Jeanne and I exchanged looks. I really don't want to stay here at all. I just hope that Jeanne play her cards well.

"Wait here…" He said while entering the room. The knights were watching us carefully. Whispers of soldiers of our names tickled my ears. Only the sound of the door where Shen got in, was that every went into silence.

"Come in…" A lowered voice sound said. Shen gently opened the door and waved his soldiers to push me inside. Jeanne gazed at Shen with caution and disdain. After I got inside, Shen told his soldiers to wait outside and he closed the door. And he crossed his arms while watching us.

The room was beautiful and extravagant. There was a hearth fire, crackling the burning charcoal. An aromatic scent of tea went into my lungs as I relaxed myself. A large desk contained numerous trinkets: books of warfare, a large strange hat with numerous badges pinned on it, a sword that was used recently and an old crown which turned dusty in time. Above it, was a golden emblem with the letter 'N', wrapped with the wings of the eagle.

"Mesdames," the gentleman said overlooking the window. "Please, have a sit."

The man with the brown trench coat and blue military uniform approached to us with a small smile, studying us carefully. He was of average height, with medium black hair. He went to a small table with a kettle fuming white mist and a few porcelain teacups.

"Care a tea?" He asked gently.

I nodded. "Yes, please." Jeanne nodded too.

As he poured the hot tea on the teacups, I secretly scanned him. His name is Napoleon Bonaparte. Cla.s.s type: Conqueror. But his level is ???. As I recall, he was one of the greatest military tacticians in Europe. Another human from history has come to play warfare, just like Jeanne d' Arc. But, something was off. His name tag color was neutral, which means…he's no Master.

"Oui. It is Napoleon in the flesh." He smiled at me when he handed a teacup to me, as if he knew I was doing. It was warm and fresh, glowing with an emerald essence. "It is strange that after ten years waking up in this foreign land, I have retained my old memories when I was Emperor of the French. The glorious days when I rose up as a corporal, overthrew the Directory, defeated my enemies and declared myself emperor. Those are long gone now."

Jeanne and I took a sip of the teacup. It was refres.h.i.+ng and delicious. The hot tea warmed the essence of my soul.

Napoleon sat down on his blue velvet chair. "During the ten years, I have founded this kingdom. Although I named it after the old kingdom in Europe, its still Francia in the flesh. I gained my own subordinates, and led them into a golden age. To me, the people of this kingdom were…real. Almost real. Which is why I left my dreams of conquest to the past. Only peace can be settled here." He looked at Jeanne with a charming look. "I can see you have numerous questions, madam. I'm a patient man so I will answer anything you ask me."

Jeanne nodded carefully and straightened her posture to speak her mind. She placed her empty teacup down. "Thank you, Your Highness. There is a lot of questions I want to ask you. But first, I will like to know how you found me? How do you know my name?"

He swipes a book from the large bookcase on his office. "As I said before, I retained my memories of the past. I read your legendary history." He slowly dragged the book to her vision. The book's t.i.tle read: The Maid of Orleans. "When my scouts reported the sighting of the woman with the banner, I knew instantly that you were the one. To me, you possess an incredible aura of peace. Your physical description, the essence of your hair, your peaceful speech, the knight armor. Those were the descriptions that a.s.sured me in my heart that it was you, Jeanne. Forgive me for not telling you everything, however, it was for a precaution. There are eyes everywhere and one must hide information to fool the enemy, oui?"

He smiled as he approached her more closer to look. "Yes, indeed. You truly are the Maid of Orleans. I bowed to you, Jeanne d' Arc. You are the heroine of Francia." He bowed to her in a dramatic fas.h.i.+on. I held my laugh as Jeanne suddenly turned red with embarra.s.sment.

"Monsieur Napoleon," She gulped as Napoleon looked away. "Do you the Night Demon? Do you have any information about it?"

"Perhaps. The Blue Chevaliers has been on a scouting mission throughout the kingdom and discovered that the Night Demon began terrorizing my cities on the borders. To make matters worse, this 'war' that Shen told me has begun to form enemies. Beyond my borders lie the powerful princ.i.p.ality named The Sanctum, governed by the Prince Bishop of the Church of the Crimson Sun. It's because of them that the Night Demon's presence spread like a plague in my cities. Shen and I suspect that the princ.i.p.ality hides this monster and sends it throughout the night to weaken my forces, Already, Provence has fallen by the hands of The Sanctum. Recently, I went into battle, and found out the horrors that I will never erase in my memories." His face darken. "Provence's citizens were turned into 'undead'. They were gone…"

Jeanne crossed her arms. "So this must be the evil I was feeling back then."

He nodded. "Indeed. Even though we do not know the nature of the Night Demon, we still suspect it is related to this war. My manpower is already showing signs of pressure. If we don't stop this menace, it could put Casthynia into danger."

"I see…" She managed to say while he poured a gla.s.s of wine and took a sip of it.

He waved his index finger and a panel appeared to him with a bunch of files. His blue eyes turned to mine, a.n.a.lyzing my very being. Studying me carefully. "And what's your name, madam?"

I started to get nervous but managed to drag it down. "My name is Joan, Your Majesty."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your name has the same tone as the Maid of Orleans. Fascinating. It feels to me that you and Jeanne are the same in essence."

I didn't know how to answer that. It's true that my name sounds the same as Jeanne. But, it's not like we are twins or anything. Does he see something similar in us?

"According to Shen Nakamura, you have been accused of murder, is that correct?" He said plainly.

Jeanne looked at me, giving me a little confidence. "Yes. But it was a mistake. I'm been framed. The murderer stole my sword and killed the owner of the hotel & restaurant. Before that happened, I was asked to give any weapons. And I did. I was with Jeanne afterwards, and suddenly the incident happened."

"And how do I know you are not the Night Demon?" He was testing me. His eyes said it all. If he thinks I'm the Night Demon, he will probably wanted to test me, see my reaction.

Suddenly I got angry at that. I was tired of this foolishness. "You are wrong. Listen, I'm a human being who was living a normal life back on my own world. And now, I'm in the middle of nowhere, where I have to defeat ten Masters and players and gain a crown that apparently emits divine power. I have no time to explain this nonsense, but I'm no demon. You are looking the wrong culprit."

Napoleon scratches is chin amusedly, his eyes sparking curiosity. "So, you are just like Shen. A 'human' from the outside. Interesting."

So it's true. Shen is a real human, just like me. Just like James. But why do I see him different? A void of nothingness emits on his cold face. It is as if he didn't care.

Jeanne waves her hand and her banner appeared on thin air. Then she lifted it into the ceiling with a brave expression. "I, Jeanne d' Arc' Master of Joan, confirms her testimony as the truth. She was with me this whole time, and I will know something was wrong. She is my partner and I will protect her no matter what enemy stands in front of us. But she is no cold blooded murderer."

I silently thanked her as she breathed out her discomfort. As Napoleon was in awe of her inspiring speech, his face turned to stone. "Jeanne, I propose a deal to you…"

Jeanne and I focused of what he was going say. "Although Joan is accused of murder, the law is the law. To end this debate, I want to propose to remove her charges because I consider she is no Night Demon. But, in order for me to do that, you are going to help me on something."

"And that is?"

"Help me defeat the Night Demon and my enemies, and I will lift the charges of your friend and help you with all my power for you to end this war. You have my word."

Jeanne and I exchanged looks. Let's face it. We are alone. We have no allies. We don't even know what our enemies are. They are probably joining in alliances and plotting to succeed in this war. Napoleon Bonaparte entrusted Jeanne for an alliance to be formed because of the Night Demon's threat. Indeed, the Night Demon could prove dangerous because it is unpredictable and deadly. We don't even know if it is a Master or a Player being pulled by the strings. But one thing concerns me: Shen. Even though he is quiet, I get the feeling he knows something more than this. Who is his Master? What is he plotting? Why Napoleon has him as a Commander of the Blue Chevaliers? Jeanne and I must have our eyes on him, no matter the cost. Or things might turned up worse.

"Done. I will gladly help you on that, Your Highness." And together we shake hands as I felt relieved that Napoleon gave me mercy. Now, we just have to focus on our enemy: the Night Demon.

Before I left Napoleon's office, he asked me one last question that concerned me.

"Answer me this: Do you have someone to save in this world?"

"I do." I said sincerely. "I have a friend here. I'm looking for him and I'm hoping he's alright."

His eyes sparkled for a moment. "And what is his name? Perhaps I can help you in something."

And I blurted out his name. "Alister?" He said intrigued. "Interesting name. Doesn't ring a bell. . I'm sure you will be reunited with him in time. Have faith." And I left the room speechless.

After our long conversation in Napoleon's office, Shen escorted us to our new rooms. It was wonderful. There were two big beds with white and blue sheets. A burning hearth crackled the burning wood. Giant bookcases with br.i.m.m.i.n.g books stood near the window, waiting for someone to bask in knowledge. There was a bathtub near the balcony which smelled roses. I instantly went ahead and took a quick shower. To sum it up, the hot water that bubbled on the tub was exquisite and refres.h.i.+ng, giving me a sense of my own home. Finally I washed out the smell of sweat and dirt. I actually felt happy because Shadow was here with me, thanks to Napoleon's orders. The maidens who arrived on our rooms gave us some new set of clothes: a fancy dress with blue rose design. My hair was tied with a bun, which I looked like a maiden in a fairy tale story. I felt so beautiful and alive that I was really spinning around and looking at the mirror in admiration. Shadow barked at me happily as he ran in circles.

"You certainly looked lively." Jeanne said to me as she remained using that ridiculous armor. I asked her why she doesn't wear anything other than that, but she preferred her own armor. She sat down on her bed as she crossed her arms.

"What's wrong, Jeanne?"

She remained silent for a moment, but she spoke. "What do you think about Napoleon? Is he trustworthy?"

I nodded. "I think so. It's our only way if we are going to survive in this war. It's smarter that way."

Jeanne started to think deeper into decisions. Then she finally nodded. "I guess you are right. It's just that…I feel something odd…" Her voice started to lower more and more. My ears started to distance the very sound of her voice. My vision started to get blurry, blinding my very surrounding. Jeanne looked like a twisted monster, twirling around and around without any means of sense. Then it hit me. The taste of the tea. The soothing but deadly taste of the tea must have done something us. Napoleon never took a sip of that tea. My body felt like a boulder as I landed hard on the wooden floor. I couldn't speak. I couldn't move.

The sound of a door ranged my ears as I saw Shen walking towards me, his face distorted. His eyes sparked as he grabbed my shoulder and piggybacked me. Then, I was gone from that room, sleeping into nothingness.